Youth CareerConnect Solicitation for Grant Applications Justification

Generic Solicitation for Grant Applications

Control Number 1225-0086

Youth CareerConnect

Abstract:

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) will announce the availability of approximately $100 million in grant funds, divided among approximately 25 to 40 grants with a period of performance not to exceed 54 months, authorized under Section 414(c) of the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (ACWIA), as amended (codified at 29 U.S.C. 2916a), for the Youth CareerConnect grant program.

In response to skill shortages in high-growth industries and occupations, Congress established the H-1B visa category for non-immigrants seeking work in high-skill or specialty occupations, imposed a user fee on employers for H-1B visa applications, and set annual limits on the number of H-1B visas granted.  ACWIA, as amended, authorized the DOL to use a portion of those fees to fund job training services and related activities.  The DOL is conducting the Youth CareerConnect program under this authority.  The program is designed to provide high school students with education and training that combines rigorous academic and technical curricula focused on specific in-demand occupations and industries for which employers are using H-1B visas to hire foreign workers as well as the related activities necessary to support such training to increase participants’ employability in H-1B in-demand industries and occupations.  Furthermore, given the large number of H-1B visas in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) industries, pending high quality proposals, the DOL expects a large share of the grants to support education and training in STEM industries.

Grants will be awarded to partnerships of private and public sector entities.  Applicants are required to provide a match of 25 percent of the grant award.

The ultimate goals for the program are to ensure that participants gain academic and occupational skills by  completing the program and graduating from high school; move into a positive placement following high school that includes unsubsidized employment, post-secondary education, long-term occupational skills training, or Registered Apprenticeship; obtain an industry-recognized credential in an H-1B industry or occupation for those industries where credential attainment is feasible by program completion, in addition to a high school diploma; and earn post-secondary credit towards a degree or credit-bearing certificate issued by an institution of higher education. 

Electronic availability:

This grant solicitation is available on the grants.gov Web site. Based on past DOL experience, the Department anticipates 75 percent of responses will be submitted electronically.

Small Entities:

This information collection will not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities.

Assurances of confidentiality:

These grant solicitations do not offer applicants assurances of confidentiality.

Special circumstances:

This information collection complies with 5 CFR 1320.5.

Burden:

Based on past experience, the DOL expects to receive approximately 175 applications. Public reporting burden for the information collection is estimated to average 20 hours per response for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

175 applications x 20 hours = 3,500 hours.

In addition to the application, each grantee will be required to submit quarterly financial, performance, and narrative reports to ETA. Those information collection requirements will be cleared under a separate Control Number.

The DOL increased the average hourly earnings in the professional/business services industry, estimated at $39.13, for July 2013, by 40 percent to monetize this burden. (Total value $54.78 per hour) See The Employment Situation—September 2013, Table B-3 DOL, Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_10222013.pdf at 32.

3500 hours x $54.78 = $191,730.

The DOL associates no other burden costs with this information collection.

Total burden: 175 respondents, 175 responses, 3500 hours, $0 other cost burden.

Supporting Statement B; Statistical Methods

This information collection does not employ statistical methods.

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